Grammys To Lure Viewers With Foo Fighting Violinists, Winehouse-Kanye Duet?

Grammy producers continue to pull out all the gimmicks, err, stops in an effort to bring viewers to their awards show. Like last year, the show will feature the winner of the "My Grammy Moment" contest. Unsigned instrumentalists are being recruited to enter this year's competition, with the winner getting the chance to play with the Foo Fighters during the February 10th ceremony (last year's victor got to sing a duet with Justin Timberlake). Leave your guitar, bass or drums at the door, though: the Grammys are seeking string, woodwind and brass players who can jam along with the Foos' "The Pretender." The entrants will be whittled down to forty-five quarter-finalists, with the grand-prize winner chosen by voters online. Because that's what the YouTube generation wants to see: forty-five French horn players performing for the opportunity to get lost in an orchestra at the Grammys.

In other, less oboe-centric news, there are rumors that Amy Winehouse will make a triumphant, hopefully sober return to the live stage by performing at the awards show. Winehouse, who had to cancel a tour back in September following a rehab stint, has been nominated for six awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year. But that's not all: To help keep the Winehouse train on the rail, there are rumors that her Grammy performance may feature collaborations with several other stars, including fellow Album of the Year nominee Kanye West.

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

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